Security researcher Yang Yu of Tencent?s Xuanwu Lab, discovered the vulnerability, earning a $50,000 reward and allowing Microsoft to release a fix in their security bulletin MS16-077. While Yu has largely remained mum on the details of BadTunnel, he plans to share more on the topic during the 2016 BlackHat Conference in Las Vegas, July 30-August 4. While little is known about this vulnerability, it has apparently been darkening the doors of Windows users for quite some time, as all versions released during the past 20 years have been affected. Scarier still, the attack doesn?t discriminate between programs or their versions, featuring ?compatibility? with all versions of Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office, Edge, numerous third-party softwares, Web servers, and USB drives. We will keep tabs on this story as it develops and keep you updated as more information becomes available. Keep reading the White Mountain IT Services blog for more security news and announcements.

The Antikythera mechanism is thought to have been discovered at the turn of the 20th century, by sponge divers off the coast of the Greek island Antikythera. It?s dated at having existed sometime between 60BC and 200BC, which makes it well over 2,000 years old. It was found aboard a shipwreck, submerged in 45 meters of water, along with several other treasures, including statues, coins, and pottery. At first, it seemed to be nothing but a pile of bronze and wood, but upon closer inspection, the machine turned out to be something quite extraordinary. Consisting of bronze gears, the Antikythera mechanism attempted to predict astronomical cycles. The device was originally found in one big clump, but the device was later split into three sections for study. It?s thought that the mechanism, in its prime, consisted of up to 30 bronze gears that operated like clockwork. Click here to view a photo gallery of the Antikythera mechanism on display. Now, the Antikythera mechanism is in about 82 different pieces, which were used in a study to determine what the cryptic text carved into it means. The inscription on the gears is so small that not even the human eye can truly decipher it – not after thousands of years of corrosion and weathering from the elements, at least. Researchers had to use x-ray and visualization technologies to make out what some of the Greek letters could mean. The Antikythera mechanism was first thought to be a device that was purely scientific, but more recent innovations have discovered that its use might also be grounded in astrological meaning. It?s possible that the color of eclipses meant something on a spiritual level to the Ancient Greeks, and that the Antikythera mechanism was a way to further understand how the world far above the surface of the Earth worked. The Antikythera mechanism is currently on display in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, where it continues to be studied and theorized about. The thought of such advanced technology existing so many years ago brings up several interesting points. Today?s society is often credited as being the most technologically advanced of its kind, but back in Ancient Greece, the Antikythera mechanism was considered high-tech. The ability to make an astronomical clock was hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years ahead of its time. Knowledge of how to make a contraption like this was lost and wasn?t recovered again until much later on, sometime during the 14th century. It makes you wonder what other civilizations before ours came up with, and how much of it was lost to the harsh ebb and flow of time. So, what does this have to do with your business? We want to say that it presents an interesting take on innovation, but honestly, as tech geeks, we just wanted to share this cool tidbit with you. For more great technology news, tips, and tricks, be sure to subscribe to our blog.

You can download your Facebook data to your device, but your reasoning for doing so could be anything. Maybe you want to have a backup copy of your data stored locally, or perhaps you?re working on a project, like a graduation collage, that requires you to pull out every photo under the sun. Of course, the most likely reason that you?d want to do this is if you?re completely fed up with Facebook, and you want to close your account. Unless you download your data, all of your information would be lost, which means countless years of Facebook activity lost to the ages. Regardless of your reason for downloading your data, Facebook makes it easy. Although, Facebook has no reason to really make downloading your data difficult, considering how they own pretty much anything that you upload anyway, whether you download it back or not. Is it too late to suggest discretion when choosing what you post on Facebook? Anyway, to get started, log into Facebook and go to Settings. You?ll see Download a copy of your Facebook data right underneath General Account Settings. Click on it, and you?ll see Start My Archive. This lets you select a place to store your information, like if you try to download something off of the Internet. You?re choosing a folder to download your Facebook data to, so make sure that it?s a secured folder since your Facebook data probably contains at least some sensitive information. Granted, you might be wondering what kind of information is downloaded to your archive. Facebook explains: ?This includes a lot of the same information available to you in your account and activity log, including your Timeline info, posts you have shared, messages, photos and more. Additionally, it includes information that is not available simply by logging into your account, like the ads you have clicked on, data like the IP addresses that are logged when you log into or out of Facebook, and more.? Depending on how heavily you have used Facebook over the years, you might be looking at a rather large download. However, downloading all of your data in one sitting is probably going to be more valuable and convenient than going through each individual post and manually selecting what you?d like to download. For more great tips and technology tricks, be sure to subscribe to White Mountain IT Services?s blog.

Through Microsoft?s TaaS agreement, a customer can select to pay for their device over 12, 24, or 36 months. Prices vary based on the customer?s length of lease, choice of device, and features included. Their most affordable offering is a basic model Surface 3 device paid for over 30 months, while a Surface Book costs considerably more per month as it is billed over 18. Membership in this program comes with a few select benefits, including seven-day-a-week support by phone or in-store, one-on-one personal training, and in-store discounts on hardware and software for your device. However, there are a few catches to this deal Microsoft has set up. First of all, this is a business-exclusive service: in the General Terms section of the TaaS Program Benefits Summary, it is explicitly stated that the service is for ?Business Customers Only; No purchase for resale.? Microsoft goes on to explain that the program sells and ships to end-users only and that any orders may be canceled if resale activity is suspected. Additionally, not all products will be available under the service, and the devices will only be official Microsoft products. Of course, for a service of this type, one doesn?t necessarily have to turn to the Microsoft Corporation. White Mountain IT Services can help select the right devices to fit your needs, whatever they may be, without the stresses brought about by lease terms, purchase option fees, and cancellation fees. Furthermore, when dealing with White Mountain IT Services, you won?t have to deal with leasing your equipment through a third-party vendor. Microsoft, on the other hand, is financing Surface Membership through LiftForward, a marketplace loan platform. With a solution from White Mountain IT Services, we can handle your dealings with all the solutions that are right for your needs, allowing you to focus on your business. If you?re looking for advice and access to the latest in computing systems and devices to assist your business operations, give White Mountain IT Services a call at (603) 889-0800. We can help you select the solution that will best fit your needs.

Consider this: your employees encounter a major issue that only you can resolve, but they have no way to contact you while you?re out of the office. If this happens, progress can be hindered and you?ll come back to one catastrophe after another. This is why completely disconnecting from the office can be a bad idea. In order to keep your business healthy and functioning, even while you?re out of the office on vacation, consider using these strategies to stay connected to your team. Check your email once a day. It?s easy to check your email when you?re in the office; you might have a tab up on a monitor with your email open all day. However, while you?re on vacation, this could mean sitting on the beach with your smartphone. If you want to fully enjoy your vacation, you should limit yourself to checking email once a day, and only respond to immediate and important inquiries. Not everything is a priority, and you should be able to determine the immediacy of a task or request. Plus, by dealing with these issues without them all piling up, you make your return to the office easier. Set boundaries for your availability. If you?re concerned about your employees bugging you while you?re on vacation, make sure that they know when you?re available. You should try to limit yourself as much as possible (considering you?re still on vacation); perhaps an hour in the morning or afternoon would be best. You can use this time to check in with the office and ensure that operations are proceeding forward as intended. You can then get back to enjoying your vacation. Establish a clear chain of command in your absence. Leadership is an important part of being a business owner, so it?s your responsibility to make sure your employees have someone to look to for guidance in your absence. In fact, having a clear chain of command even while you?re in the office can be a great benefit. This helps your team stay organized, and can make the delegation of issues and responsibilities easier in the long run. If you have someone you can rely on to handle any issues that surface while you?re away, your vacation will be that much sweeter. By using these three tips to your advantage, your business will be in much better shape while you?re away on vacation. This means that you can enjoy your time off, without worrying about whether or not your business will be standing when you return to the office. For more great tips and tricks, be sure to subscribe to White Mountain IT Services?s blog.